Obsessed(25)

“Holy shit,” one wearing glasses cursed. “Where did you come from?”

“Hello, fellas,” I returned, grinning as I looked around, catching the attention of all kinds of people. “Cool party. Where’s the beer?”

One turned to a cooler beside his camp chair. He pulled out a can of beer and handed it to me. I cracked it open and put it to my lips when it was suddenly torn from my grasp.

“No alcohol,” Aston growled at me. “Don’t be stupid.”

“Eh, don’t be rude to her,” another man with a popped collar said. “She’s just having fun.”

“She’s underage,” Aston retorted, narrowing his eyes at him.

“I’m eighteen,” I lied, rolling my eyes. “Ignore my brother here. He’s awfully protective of me. Now where’s all the dancing? This music rocks.”

“In the house is where it’s all at.”

I winked at Popped Collar. “Thanks.”

“I can show you the way if you’d like –”

“Fuck off,” Aston interrupted him as I started to stride away.

Popped Collar took one look at Aston and immediately backed down. I felt kind of bad. “You don’t have to be a dick, Aston,” I muttered to him.

Moving toward the lake house, I felt their eyes burning along my figure. Aston followed after me, gritting his teeth. “We were supposed to go for a swim, El,” he angrily said. “Not crash a party.”

I stopped in front of the house and turned to him. “Look, dearest one, you need to relax and learn to have fun. Stop being so uptight and just…live. I promise you won’t regret it. Dance with me and pretend no one is watching, okay?”

He didn’t look convinced. With a sigh, I grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the house. There were couples all over the wraparound deck, drinking and kissing. They didn’t notice us moving past them.

I’d crashed a few high school parties with Cindy already, and Aston had tagged along every single time, determined to keep a close eye on me so I wasn’t being taken advantage of again. I knew he did it to protect me, but never in those times did he loosen up and have fun.

He remained anti-social, a goddamn ornament in the background, never participating in conversations or dances. I didn’t get him, sometimes. Wouldn’t he want to participate in some fun every now and then? He was going off to college in a matter of time and he needed to get used to this kind of life, instead of dwelling in libraries and watching time pass by without learning to embrace the cultures of the twenty first century.

Or maybe I just didn’t understand his love for isolation. I hoped I never would, either.

Everyone was nice, not an aggressive soul in the house as we entered. They parted to let us through. I got a few dirty looks from girls sizing me up, though it wasn’t like they were dressed any more than I was in their booty shorts and belly tops. Hypocrites.

The music roared loud as ever as we entered a massive open area, its furniture shoved against the walls, allowing plenty of room for dancing. There were already so many people in here, I could feel Aston’s grip tighten around mine. I brought us in the middle of the room and turned to him. I was smiling so wide, my mouth was sore.

“Dance!” I hollered at him.

He didn’t. Not at all. What was wrong with him?

He just stood there, staring down at me with a blank expression. I wanted to wrap my arms around his neck and sway my body against his, but I knew he wouldn’t react to it. He’d stand still, stiff as a board, and wait for me to finish.

“Come on, Aston,” I pleaded. “I just want to have some fun.”

“Then I’ll leave you to have your fun,” he told me.

I sulked. “No, don’t leave me here. I meant fun with you –”

“I’m not leaving you in this house, El. I meant I’ll wait until you finish.” At the look of relief on my face, his own softened. “I’d never leave you, you know that,” he promised.

He left a second later, resting his back against a wall in direct view of me. He crossed his arms and stared at me, a neutral look on his face. For a moment, I wondered if I should just leave. I hesitated, deliberating it, before I caught him shake his head at me and mouth the word dance. When I didn’t, he wagged his brows and mouthed another word. Now. I smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up. Then I waded deeper into the crowd and danced.

I was a free spirit. Not a care on my shoulders as I spun and threw my hands in the air. Guys flocked to me, but I moved away from them and danced on my own. Dancing wasn’t about eroticism to me, it was about moving to the beat of a rhythm that made my heart vibrate and my body crave the beat. It was pure fun, a way of self-expression that led to an awesome release. I was confident dancing. I knew my body well, knew how to move, how to sway, how to shake my ass. Thank you, Ms Potts for all those dance lessons.